Jason Benetti has an interesting choice for a YouTube link on his Twitter page. The video is a classic Monty Python bit called, "The Ministry of Silly Walks." It is wonderfully absurd with John Cleese and others strutting around in ridiculous ways.

"Hilarious," Benetti said.

Now it would be horribly cruel to say Benetti walks silly. However, as a result of having cerebral palsy, he has what best can be described as an awkward gait. His walk can look so labored that he often is asked if he needs a wheelchair while at an airport.

Benetti knows people's first impressions come from seeing his walk. Posting the Python video not only shows his self-deprecating side, it also is a subtle way of saying there's much more to him than how he gets around.

"It's a wry nod to myself," Benetti said. "How I walk is part of my life. I do get different responses than people who walk, let's say, more common. That's fine. I just have this hope we all can say, 'Let's look a bit deeper.' "

White Sox fans soon will get to know Benetti. The team is set to announce Wednesday that he will be its new TV play-by-play voice for almost all of the home games at U.S. Cellular Field in 2016.

Ken Harrelson will be working a reduced schedule. With a few exceptions, the 74-year-old announcer will be calling the Sox road games, saving him the 180-mile, round-trip grind of commuting to games at U.S. Cellular Field from his home in South Bend, Ind. Analyst Steve Stone will be back, working with Harrelson and Benetti.

The Sox chose Benetti, 32, after an extensive search. A graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School who grew up in Homewood as a Sox fan, Benetti has been doing play-by-play on college football and basketball for ESPN since 2011. He was on the call Thursday for the network's coverage of the Illinois-Michigan State game. On the baseball side, Benetti, who attended Syracuse, did five years of play-by-play for the Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, through 2014.

Benetti has compelling storylines as a young man from this area who has cerebral palsy. However, the Sox insist those aren't the reasons he was hired.

"He got the job because he's really a good broadcaster, not because of the side stories," said Brooks Boyer, the White Sox chief marketing officer. "What stands out is his ability to broadcast a game."

Benetti has a strong advocate in Len Kasper. When Boyer called the Cubs TV voice looking for input on candidates, Benetti was at the top of Kasper's list.

"I told Brooks, 'You better grab this guy before someone else does,' " Kasper said. "When I strongly suggest somebody, that means I think (the person) is going to be great. You know the 'it' factor? It's hard to describe, but Jason has 'it.' "

Benetti admits landing his "dream job" still seems surreal. During a photo shoot Monday, he sat in the TV booth at U.S. Cellular Field for the first time.

"I'm used to sitting out there," said Benetti, pointing to the outfield seats. "This is going to be my office. It's hard to wrap my head about it."

The story is even more unlikely given the challenges Benetti has faced. The only child of Rob and Sue Benetti, Jason was born 10 weeks premature. After being diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a condition that primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination and often is caused by damage to the brain before or at birth, he went through three extensive surgeries that left him in casts from the waist down. Benetti spent part of first grade in a wheelchair and eventually had to wear braces on his legs.

His parents, who now live in Mokena, say they never focused on any limitations with Jason.

"If anything, having cerebral palsy made him work harder to excel," Rob Benetti said. "We're beaming with pride. He has been my idol for a long time."

Looking back, Sue recalls his broadcast roots started at an early age.

"We always heard him calling video games in his room," said Sue, a lifelong Sox fan.

Benetti got his first experience working for the radio station at Homewood-Flossmoor. He said it proved to be a transformative moment for a teenager who knew he was different.

"I didn't know it at the time, but put me behind a microphone, and some of the inhibitions are gone," Benetti said. "I ended up knowing I could be very useful in some area. That I have a skill to do this thing."

Benetti did pursue a backup plan, completing his law degree at Wake Forest in 2011. However, he never took the bar exam, as his career took off at ESPN. Benetti will continue to work for the network during the baseball offseason.

Benetti, who now walks without braces, doesn't see himself as being disabled.

"I have no physical limitations, other than I probably won't beat you in a footrace," he said.

From a broadcast standpoint, cerebral palsy has left him with what he calls "a drifting eye." As a result, he can appear as if he isn't looking into the camera. He has received tweets from people saying, "Hey, look over here."

That's why Benetti is eager to work regularly on Sox games.

Photos of the White Sox's annual fan fest through the years.

"That's the awesome thing about this situation," Benetti said. "White Sox fans will get to know me. They'll get used to whatever quirks come with me."

Benetti believes after the initial announcement of his Sox hiring, his cerebral palsy quickly will be a non-story. However, working in a local market, where the viewer connections run deeper compared to national telecasts, he likely will be seen even more as a symbol of what is possible for people facing similar situations.

Benetti works with the Cerebral Palsy Association and has met with individuals with disabilities. Yet he doesn't want to be defined as someone who has cerebral palsy, saying "it's a small part of who I am."

"Do I see myself as an example?" said Benetti, repeating the question. "I don't wake up and say I want to inspire today. I wake up and say I want to do a really great job. If people can derive some hope from what I do, that means I am doing my job the right way."

A version of this article appeared in print on January 13, 2016, in the News section of the Chicago Tribune with the headline "`Dream job' for new voice in White Sox TV booth" —
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